One of these things is not like the others.

"We have to renew people’s faith in the promise of this country together: business & government, workers & CEOs, Democrats & Republicans."

- President Obama, via Twitter in February.

I believe that Barack Obama is an idealist. I buy that, on some level, he really, genuinely, whole-heartedly means what he says when he says shit like the tweet above. I think he thinks that all those disparate forces can really come together at a picnic table at the White House and drink beer together, or something.

I also think he's smart enough to know, on some other level, that he's totally full of horseshit. I said it before, I'll say it again: he's a Chicago politician, not some fresh-faced yokel just off the turnip truck. I think he knows what political realities are at play in Washington and elsewhere, and I think he makes the compromises he has to in order to act upon his priorities.

But in that statement above, one of those disparate forces stands out to me: workers. The rest of them - CEOs, business, government, Democrats, and Republicans - these are all powerful groups of people with deep coffers and plenty of access to decision-makers and policy-makers. All of these groups are doing just fine, making money and profit and doing each other favor after favor. CEOs and Big Business (which are really effectively the same damn thing) basically give campaign money and kickbacks and freebies to Democrats and Republicans (who pretty much are government); in exchange, government gives Big Business tax cuts and favorable legislation (health care "reform" and globalization and farm subsidies, etc.).

Workers on the other hand? Get nothing but screwed. I am starting to wonder if the president really has the good of the common person at heart....because his actions leave a lot of room for question there.